Harden is a respected film, stage, and television actress who is known for turning in consistently strong, nuanced performances. She began her career in theater, and earned a Tony Award nomination for her role in Angels in America: Part I—Millennium Approaches. She made her film debut in 1990's Miller's Crossing. She received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work in Pollock, the biopic of artist Jackson Pollock. Her other film credits include Desperate Measures (1998), The First Wives Club (1996), and Used People (1992). She starred opposite Richard Dreyfus in the CBS drama The Education of Max Bickford (2001– ).